American Airlines eases standby rules for non-members

American Airlines has revised its standby policy, allowing all passengers to join the standby list for earlier flights without restrictions. This change, effective July 1, reverses a policy from last year that limited same-day standby to AAdvantage members only.

Previously, passengers were required to use online or app-based self-serve options to add themselves to the standby list. However, issues with the American Airlines app sometimes made this difficult. "Over the past year, I've had numerous instances where I've tried to add myself to the standby list for an earlier flight, but the mobile app kept giving me error messages," one passenger noted.

The airline confirmed that passengers must still be added to the standby list at least 45 minutes before departure and that this option is available only for domestic flights. While anyone can now join the standby list, priority will still be given to elite status members.